Why Climate Change Matters for Christchurch
By Rosalee Jenkin. This article was first published in The Press on 18 December 2015
I count myself pretty fortunate to live in Christchurch. It’s been an interesting ride over the last five years, but on the whole I think I’ve got it pretty good.
As a climate campaigner though, I’m often looking elsewhere — to our Pacific Island neighbours who are being displaced due to sea level rise; to the arctic, where frozen land masses continue to disintegrate at an alarming rate; or more recently, to Paris, where world leaders have just finished hashing out a global agreement to curb global greenhouse gas emissions.
I’d like to start a conversation about what climate change means for this city I live in. This is a large and complex issue that often triggers us to think globally — of lofty statements made in diplomatic halls and grand solutions dreamed up by technocrats. It’s no wonder that it often gets stashed away in the part of our brains that houses “Important but Non-Urgent” matters, overridden by everyday worries like getting the kids to school, sorting out those ongoing EQC claims, and working out how to keep the extended family happy at Christmas.
What’s more, climate change often prompts a misleading narrative that because we are a small place at the bottom of the world, nobody really cares about our contribution to global greenhouse gas emissions.
Here’s the thing: climate change is going to affect Christchurch within our lifetime, and there are things we can and should be doing about it.
Let’s get the bad news out of the way first. Climate change will cause an increase in extreme weather events. Christchurch, like more than 90 per cent of urban areas around the world, is a low-lying coastal city, which makes us vulnerable to rising sea levels, storms and flooding.
Recent research estimates that sea levels will rise nearly half a metre in the next 50 years. Given that parts of Christchurch have sunk considerably as a result of the earthquakes — and that we have more low-lying homes than Auckland or Wellington — we can’t afford to put off the re-zoning of these vulnerable areas much longer.
As the atmosphere traps more heat, the earth’s regulatory weather systems (including those gusty nor’ westers that like to blow us around) kick into overdrive, meaning more rain for wetter areas and more droughts for places that are already drier.
Here on the east coast we already see very little rain, and climate change could mean even less of that when we really need it, while also making the region prone to flash flooding in winter.
Christchurch is a market town, dependent on our surrounding agricultural industries. The drought of 2007/2008 had a huge impact on people’s livelihoods. Livestock were dying, waterways were drying up, and by the end of it, 11 per cent of jobs had been lost. To put that in perspective, the great financial crisis that followed caused job losses of 7 per cent.
So now for the good news. It’s true that reducing Christchurch’s greenhouse gas emissions alone won’t make a huge dent in the global carbon budget. But what if we could show other cities around the world how it’s done? What if we could model the latest technology and innovative planning, and pioneer citizen-centred urban design?
On top of this unique and rather rad opportunity to put Christchurch on the map, cutting emissions will actually improve our lives. I’m reminded of the cartoon that has made its way around the internet and back again over the past couple of years: “What if it’s all a hoax and we create a better world for nothing?”
Here in Christchurch, around two-thirds of our carbon emissions stem from transport. We are currently a city designed for cars, and this is the first thing we can change.
I’m someone who is prone to stress, and if there’s one thing that really elevates my cortisol levels, it’s having to drive into the city and find a car park. I know I’m not the only one.
It is widely accepted that getting people out of their cars and into public and active transport has numerous health benefits and reduces the risk of chronic illnesses like cardiovascular disease, cancer, type II diabetes and depression.
All the while, reducing the amount of land designated for cars creates more space for people and the sorts of places we enjoy — think gardens and parks, playgrounds, cafes and markets.
Doing our bit to cut carbon emissions means a happier, healthier city and the time to act is now, on the back of the historic agreement just signed in Paris to keep total warming to less than 2 degrees Celsius.
So why do I feel fortunate to live here? It’s not because I see Christchurch as a safe haven from the negative effects of climate change — I know we are not exempt.
I feel fortunate because the place I call home has a once-in-a-lifetime chance to lead the way. We have a clean slate from which to create a low-carbon, liveable city that will inspire others around the world. And I find that incredibly exciting.
Rosalee Jenkin co-ordinates the Christchurch branch of youth advocacy group Generation Zero. She is a (semi) recent graduate from the University of Canterbury, where she now works as a Digital Content Analyst for CEISMIC Canterbury Earthquakes Digital Archive.
